When Roxy Rule’s best friend and roommate, Ollie, gets a new job in England she’s happy for him. Nothing will change, she tells herself. When the two share a kiss right before he leaves, it catches Roxy by complete surprise. After revealing what happened to their friends, not bothering to mention it to her fiance (because it didn’t mean anything, right?), she decides to ignore it and move on with her hectic life as an assistant for “boss who makes her want to stab herself with a letter opener.” Not only does Roxy have to deal with her boss, Roxy’s sisters move in with her (one sister is pregnant and one who’s in a premature midlife crisis), which creates even more havoc on her life. Arguing with her fiance about her never-ending credit card balance due to buying kitchen supplies that she can’t live without, and dealing with the drama in her life, Roxy puts her dream about being a chef on the back burner.

What will Roxy do when she can no longer put up with her fiance and his overbearing mother? Will Roxy help her boss out when she needs her most? Most of all, what will Roxy do when she finds some news that changes everything?

A few months ago I decided that I wouldn’t be taking anymore request until after the year so that I could focus on my own books. When I received an email from Samantha of Marching Ink asking me to read and review Breaking the Rules, I read synopsis and knew immediately that I had to read the debut novel by Cat Lavoie! It seemed like it would be a great Chick Lit read, and seemed not too far off about a friendship when I had when I was younger.

From the first sentence to the last period, Breaking the rules was a delight to read! I read it in three days and loved the characters, especially Rox! She had me laughing the whole time, and though I was a little nervous about what she would say and do in certain situations, she didn’t let me down — especially in the end! (Read the book to find why I was on the edge of my seat). As for Roxy’s fiance, his behavior and words really annoyed me, but I understood that by the end. I enjoyed Roxy’s sisters’ characters. While all the sisters were dealing with their own personal drama, I liked how they came together when it was needed. Last, but not least, there’s Ollie who I liked a lot, but wished there would’ve been more of him, maybe by emails or phone calls just to keep him more involved with Roxy.

There were a lot of twists and turns and I liked that. There was nothing that the brilliant author hadn’t explained or make the reader wonder.

Overall, I LOVED this book! If you’re wanting to read a fun and entertaining book about family, love, and relationships, then Breaking the Rules is the book for you!

Well liked, beloved friend, sister and fifth grade teacher, Patty Perreault is up for Teacher of the Year. While her “kids” mean everything to her and she loves her job (with the exception of a certain few kids in her class), she’s set on losing weight because she’s worried they won’t pick her for Teacher of the Year because of her weight. She’s determined and ready to start losing weight, but along the way endures internal and relationship struggles.

First there’s Sam Curtis, who she meets while swimming laps. As their friendship grows when he offers his expertise on her finances. While she thinks he’s a nice guy, she can’t see him as anything more than just a friend — because he’s overweight. Then comes Nick Lamont, a handsome coworker who she’d give up anything for, but there might be more to him than she thinks or wants to admit. What will “Fatty Patty” do? Will she let the handsome man walk all over her, or will she stand her ground and see that it’s what’s on the inside that matters the most?

When I decided to be part of the “Fatty Patty” tour, I took part because I loved the cover. Yes, the cover did sway me, but after reading the first chapter, I was hooked all the way to the end! From the beginning I was a huge fan of Patty. I liked the way she took charge of her weight and began swimming laps. I also liked how her sister stood by her, supporting her in each way, sometimes even hiding food from her when need be. Their relationship swayed a little bit, but that was understood, too. I would’ve liked more between them as far as being honest with each other, especially on Patty’s part. She should’ve said what she thought more, rather than what she thought.

As for her romantic life, I liked both Sam and Nick. Sam was the one with the heart and Nick was the one with the good looks…(No, I’m not going to spoil it for you! Read the book!)

Books about “fat” characters can be a touchy subject, but Kathleen Irene Paterka created “Fatty Patty” in a brilliant way. I loved Patty’s character and think that any woman at any size will, too.

Overall, I think that Kathleen has written a wonderful and heartwarming book about weight, finding yourself and about falling in love.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

About the author:

Kathleen Irene Paterka fell in love with writing (and food) at a very young age. By the time she graduated high school, she’d completed her first manuscript and she weighed 300 lbs. Though the extra pounds have long since disappeared, Kathleen still carries the emotional scars of being a former fatty. FATTY PATTY was born from the cruel teasing she endured on the school playground. Kathleen is the author of numerous novels which embrace universal themes of home, family life and love, including the Women’s Fiction series, “The James Bay Novels”. Kathleen is the resident staff writer for Castle Farms, a world renowned castle listed on the National Historic Register, and co-author of the non-fiction book FOR THE LOVE OF A CASTLE, published in 2012. Having lived and studied abroad, Kathleen’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University. She and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Kathleen loves hearing from readers.

When Charlene (Charley) gets fired from her job and moves to Miami to work as a news director at a local television station, she’s up for the challenge. She soon realizes that her boss, Jonathan Lefton, will go to any extreme to get good ratings – no matter what. After nude pictures are found of a female coworker, that’s just the beginning of her problems. After meeting a very dirty cop who pulls her over, her life is turned upside down even more so! Risking ratings for her show, will Charley risk her life to expose a crime or will she save a relationship with the one she’s sleeping with?

“Viewer Discretion Advised” was a quick read that was filled with TV drama, giving us a clear view of what it’d be like working in newscaster business! Charley, Oz, the dirty cop, John, and Jonathan all played wonderful characters that kept the reader hanging.

I liked how Cindy’s writing was fast and quick, and there was action on each page. She did a great job of defining characters, giving them have their own personality. Though, I had a hard time defining between John and Jonathan (Lefton). While their names weren’t the same and they had different personas, I would’ve made their names less similar. I wasn’t really taken with Charley’s character, nor did I believe the way felt about her job or her friends, or especially her relationship with Oz. As for the book seeming real, I believe it — news is everywhere! There were also quite a few random sentences that just popped up out of nowhere and I had to reread the sentence (sometimes the paragraph) over again that didn’t make sense.

**POSSIBLE ENDING SPOILER BELOW**

Overall, I think that Cindy Roesel has nailed it by writing a book that gives us a reality into the life of what it’s like to be in the news industry. There were parts that were funny, which gave off a lighthearted feel to the reader. I give her a lot of credit for keeping me interested to see what Charley does, though would’ve liked to know the details about her job at the end and what’s said between her, Jonathan, and/or the other characters.

I give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars!

About the author:

Cindy Roesel is an Emmy Award winning television broadcast journalist. After working for twenty years in newsrooms filled with ambitious backbiting adrenalin junkies, she’s turning her experiences into novels. Cindy lives in Miami with her shih tzu, Sassy.